DRINKING WATER
How Artificial Intelligence (AI) Is Transforming Water Loss Management For Utilities
AI is reshaping water loss management by turning complex utility data into clearer priorities, faster insights, and more proactive decision-making—without replacing the people responsible for running the system.
DRINKING WATER CASE STUDIES AND WHITE PAPERS
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![GettyImages-1215336784 algae bloom]( "Ozone Technology In Aquaculture: Enhancing Water Quality And Health")
Ozone Technology In Aquaculture: Enhancing Water Quality And HealthWater quality is the backbone of a successful aquaculture operation. Poor water conditions lead to disease outbreaks, low survival rates, and reduced productivity. Traditional chemical treatments can leave harmful residues and negatively impact both aquatic life and the environment.
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![ect_casestudy_oc_lr-3]( "Groundwater Replenishment System - Orange County, California")
Groundwater Replenishment System - Orange County, CaliforniaThe full-scale advanced treatment system takes filtered secondary effluent from the neighboring OCSD treatment plant and converts it to water that exceeds all drinking water quality standards.
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![GettyImages-1326424968_450_300]( "Machine Learning: What Water Utilities Can Learn From The Power Industry")
Machine Learning: What Water Utilities Can Learn From The Power IndustryThe combination of water scarcity and aging infrastructure is pushing water utilities to use machine learning analytic software to predict demand patterns and develop long-term investment plans.
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Hamad International Airport Reduces Leaks By 60%
The airport had to deal with a large volume of non-registered water in its extensive water distribution networks. In the light of this situation, the implementation of Idrica’s services and technology managed to boost efficiency in the facilities. The results included a 60% reduction in the number of leaks and a 20% drop in maintenance costs.
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![Photo provided by Garney Construction]( "It Runs Through A River: 1.7 Miles Of AMERICAN Products Help Deliver Water In North Alabama")
It Runs Through A River: 1.7 Miles Of AMERICAN Products Help Deliver Water In North AlabamaSix million gallons of water per day (MGD) sounds like a lot of water, and it is, but it wasn’t enough to meet Limestone County’s projected demands for drinking water. Around 1,000 customers were being added each year, and a number of inquiries had been made about increased industrial development.
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![How To Get Accurate Flow Measurements Despite Flow Disturbers]( "How To Get Accurate Flow Measurements Despite Flow Disturbers")
How To Get Accurate Flow Measurements Despite Flow DisturbersFlow meter accuracy is critical for process control but can be hampered by upstream and downstream flow disturbers. This problem may be addressed during the design process, though in some circumstances it’s impossible to eliminate disturbers.
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Hendersonville Water Treatment Plant Features Innovative Disinfection System
Hendersonville Utility District (HUD) serves one of the most populous suburbs of Nashville, Tennessee.
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What You Need To Know About The 3 Types Of Iron Filter Media
Several treatment processes can be used to remove iron and manganese from ground water for potable water supplies. Iron and manganese are typically found in groundwater in a dissolved state and appear clear. While there are various less common treatment methods used (such as ion exchange and ultra-filtration), most treatment systems for iron and manganese oxidize the ferrous state of iron to a ferric state so the solid particles can then be filtered out.
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![Degree Elbow Repair.jpg]( "5 Tips On Avoiding Murphy's Law With Big Pipe Repairs")
5 Tips On Avoiding Murphy's Law With Big Pipe RepairsHere is one example of how challenging a 36”-line repair can become, plus five guidelines to help decision-makers minimize the risks of the same happening to them.
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A Lesson In DMA Management
White House Utility District (WHUD) is one of the largest water and sewer utilities in the state of Tennessee. While developing a network of pipelines, pumping stations and storage units was challenging, the greater test came in finding access to a plentiful water supply.
DRINKING WATER APPLICATION NOTES
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Dissolved Oxygen Measurement11/11/2013
One of the most important measurements in the determination of the health of a body of water is its dissolved oxygen content. The quantity of dissolved oxygen in water is normally expressed in parts per million (ppm) by weight and is due to the solubility of oxygen from the atmosphere around us.
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Aquafine Ultraviolet Treatment Systems For TOC Reduction1/29/2025
Aquafine TOC reduction units coupled with ion exchange systems or EDI will oxidize trace organics into smaller ionic species, carbon dioxide and water, which are more readily removed by ion exchange resins, EDI, and/or degasifiers.
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The 'First Line Of Defense' In Protecting Membrane Filters8/9/2019
Multi-element, self-cleaning pretreatment filters optimize membrane filter life and production while minimizing maintenance and downtime.
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LC-MS Analysis Of PFAS Compounds In EPA Methods 537.1, 533 And 832711/4/2021
The Ascentis Express PFAS HPLC column is designed for the separation of novel and legacy PFAS as per recent EPA methods. A specific PFAS delay column prevents background PFAS contamination from interfering with sample results in quantitative LC-MS methods.
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Industry-Specific Applications For UV Technology6/17/2024
In Microelectronics, Aquafine UV systems provide a synergistic approach towards the reduction of trace organics and microbial contamination for ultrapure water.
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Best Practices In Moist And Wet Gas Flow12/20/2021
The Wet Gas MASSter sensor is for use in applications that have a high level of moisture or condensation present in the gas flow stream that cannot otherwise be removed.
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What Are You Doing To My Pipe: Can PVC Pipe Be Loaded?4/13/2021
The argument has been used that PVC pipe is delicate and can’t be subjected to any kind of loading. In EBAA's years of testing we have found that is not the case at all. PVC can take an extreme amount of strain.
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Reducing And Reusing Water In Steel Manufacturing2/28/2022
The art of manufacturing steel for industries is well over 100 years old. Within this time, the steel business has fulfilled consumer needs, including construction, transportation, and manufacturing. The steel manufacturing process is quite intensive as it requires a lot of water to cool down the application. Steel plants constantly look for strategies that can help sustain the steel for a longer time by efficiently improving water and energy consumption.
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Cloth Media Filtration Removes Coal Ash And Coal Fines At Power Plants1/15/2019
Coal-fired power plants generate coal fines and coal ash from a number of sources, including coal combustion residuals (CCR), particularly fly and bottom ash from coal furnaces, and coal pile runoff during rain events. In support of an industry-wide effort to reduce, improve, and remove coal ash ponds, a variety of technologies have been tested and employed. Read the full application note to learn more.
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Ultrasonic Level Measurement In Water And Wastewater Plants5/19/2016
Radar technology is often viewed as the “best” method of level measurement, but this isn’t necessarily true in the water industry.
DRINKING WATER PRODUCTS
Endress+Hauser offers continuous level measurement and point level detection in liquids and bulk solids
Endress+Hauser is committed to your business, for improved plant performance.
The BEACON® Software as a Service (SaaS) solution combines the intuitive power of BEACON SaaS software suite with proven ORION® Cellular Network as a Service (NaaS), Traditional Fixed Network (AMI) and Mobile (AMR) meter reading technologies to provide utility management with greater visibility, control and optimized information.
This sealed “junction box” receives the special “vented” type sensor cable from a Druck sensor and connects to a less expensive, non-vented, proprietary sourced instrument cable. It allows barometric reference pressure to enter the enclosure while providing a block to water/humidity entering and condensing in the assembly.
De Nora Water Technologies can help you to optimise your electrochlorination system operation to deliver consistent life long performance.
LATEST INSIGHTS ON DRINKING WATER
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![Cutting Red Tape-GettyImages-502421630]( "How The NEPA Rollback Will Impact Water And Wastewater Industries")
The White House has finalized plans to roll back rules under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), narrowing its focus and limiting what the current administration claims are needless delays for federal approval of water, energy, and other infrastructure plans. For water and wastewater utilities, the changes could speed up permitting for critical projects, although experts warn the tradeoffs could do more harm than good. -
![Ultraviolet lamps for water disinfection-GettyImages-1271779123]( "Setting Global Standards: Inside North America's Only Full-Scale UV Disinfection Validation Facility")
Setting Global Standards: Inside North America's Only Full-Scale UV Disinfection Validation FacilityPortland's industry-leading facility reaches 100 reactor validations in 23 years.
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![Water analysis, purification, filtration, treatment, quality monitoring, contamination detection-GettyImages-2234293664]( "Why Haven't Field Tests For Lead In Water Gone Mainstream?")
Given the maturation of sensor technology, the scientific and operational hurdles to portable lead analysis are somewhat surprising — but surmountable.
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![peace-athabasca-delta-flood-mapping-265153]( "What Is Bathymetric Modeling? And How Can It Protect Ecosystems While Saving Resources?")
Bathymetric modeling maps underwater terrain. It also helps guide planning, prevent hazards, and build climate-resilient infrastructure.
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![Large datacenter-GettyImages-2196655358]( "Building Your Water-Positive Data Center Roadmap: A Step-By-Step Implementation Guide")
The data center industry stands at a critical juncture. As facilities scale to meet exponential computing demands, water consumption has emerged as a defining operational challenge. Traditional approaches focused on water efficiency are no longer sufficient. -
![pregnantwater_Getty-2241371016]( "PFAS In Pregnant Women's Drinking Water Puts Their Babies At Higher Risk, Study Finds")
When pregnant women drink water that comes from wells downstream of sites contaminated with PFAS, known as “forever chemicals,” the risks to their babies’ health substantially increase, a new study found. These risks include the chance of low birth weight, preterm birth, and infant mortality.
ABOUT DRINKING WATER
In most developed countries, drinking water is regulated to ensure that it meets drinking water quality standards. In the U.S., the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) administers these standards under the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA).
Drinking water considerations can be divided into three core areas of concern:
- Source water for a community’s drinking water supply
- Drinking water treatment of source water
- Distribution of treated drinking water to consumers
Drinking Water Sources
Source water access is imperative to human survival. Sources may include groundwater from aquifers, surface water from rivers and streams and seawater through a desalination process. Direct or indirect water reuse is also growing in popularity in communities with limited access to sources of traditional surface or groundwater.
Source water scarcity is a growing concern as populations grow and move to warmer, less aqueous climates; climatic changes take place and industrial and agricultural processes compete with the public’s need for water. The scarcity of water supply and water conservation are major focuses of the American Water Works Association.
Drinking Water Treatment
Drinking Water Treatment involves the removal of pathogens and other contaminants from source water in order to make it safe for humans to consume. Treatment of public drinking water is mandated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in the U.S. Common examples of contaminants that need to be treated and removed from water before it is considered potable are microorganisms, disinfectants, disinfection byproducts, inorganic chemicals, organic chemicals and radionuclides.
There are a variety of technologies and processes that can be used for contaminant removal and the removal of pathogens to decontaminate or treat water in a drinking water treatment plant before the clean water is pumped into the water distribution system for consumption.
The first stage in treating drinking water is often called pretreatment and involves screens to remove large debris and objects from the water supply. Aeration can also be used in the pretreatment phase. By mixing air and water, unwanted gases and minerals are removed and the water improves in color, taste and odor.
The second stage in the drinking water treatment process involves coagulation and flocculation. A coagulating agent is added to the water which causes suspended particles to stick together into clumps of material called floc. In sedimentation basins, the heavier floc separates from the water supply and sinks to form sludge, allowing the less turbid water to continue through the process.
During the filtration stage, smaller particles not removed by flocculation are removed from the treated water by running the water through a series of filters. Filter media can include sand, granulated carbon or manufactured membranes. Filtration using reverse osmosis membranes is a critical component of removing salt particles where desalination is being used to treat brackish water or seawater into drinking water.
Following filtration, the water is disinfected to kill or disable any microbes or viruses that could make the consumer sick. The most traditional disinfection method for treating drinking water uses chlorine or chloramines. However, new drinking water disinfection methods are constantly coming to market. Two disinfection methods that have been gaining traction use ozone and ultra-violet (UV) light to disinfect the water supply.
Drinking Water Distribution
Drinking water distribution involves the management of flow of the treated water to the consumer. By some estimates, up to 30% of treated water fails to reach the consumer. This water, often called non-revenue water, escapes from the distribution system through leaks in pipelines and joints, and in extreme cases through water main breaks.
A public water authority manages drinking water distribution through a network of pipes, pumps and valves and monitors that flow using flow, level and pressure measurement sensors and equipment.
Water meters and metering systems such as automatic meter reading (AMR) and advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) allows a water utility to assess a consumer’s water use and charge them for the correct amount of water they have consumed.